Coral reefs span borders, so must solutions: transboundary conservation in complex political environments

Coral reefs face escalating threats from climate change, yet reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone will not ensure their survival. Local and regional conservation efforts are urgently needed to address immediate, human-induced stressors and build resilience. Although conservation often begins locally, the interconnected nature of reef systems that span borders demands transboundary management, international coordination, and robust governance frameworks. In 2024, a multidisciplinary group of coral reef scientists and conservationists convened at Stony Brook University to develop strategies for strengthening reef resilience globally and regionally, with an emphasis on the Red Sea and Caribbean reefs. Using participatory systems mapping, the group produced a framework identifying six priority areas for international and transboundary action: conservation finance; global knowledge management; regional political coordination; area-based management; ecosystem restoration; and strengthening stakeholder capacity and engagement. The findings demonstrate commonalities as well as regional nuances for coral conservation, and the approach can be replicated elsewhere.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Ocean Sustainability
Published
2025-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00166-x
Primary Topic
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Coral reefs span borders, so must solutions: transboundary conservation in complex political environments

Dana Grieco, Isaiah W. Bolden, Maoz Fine, B. Ronen et al.
npj Ocean Sustainability
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
article

Coral reefs span borders, so must solutions: transboundary conservation in complex political environments

Dana Grieco, Isaiah W. Bolden, Maoz Fine, B. Ronen, Jacqueline L. Padilla‐Gamiño, Roi Martinez, Callum Hoyt Backstrom, Ellen K. Pikitch, Margaux Y. Hein, Oren Levy, David Gill, Karine Kleinhaus, Ali Al‐Sawalmih, John J. Bohorquez, Melanie McField, Anne E. McElroy, Benjamin Midberry, Fahd Al-Guthmy, Natalia Benejam, Chen Azulay
article en

Abstract

Coral reefs face escalating threats from climate change, yet reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone will not ensure their survival. Local and regional conservation efforts are urgently needed to address immediate, human-induced stressors and build resilience. Although conservation often begins locally, the interconnected nature of reef systems that span borders demands transboundary management, international coordination, and robust governance frameworks. In 2024, a multidisciplinary group of coral reef scientists and conservationists convened at Stony Brook University to develop strategies for strengthening reef resilience globally and regionally, with an emphasis on the Red Sea and Caribbean reefs. Using participatory systems mapping, the group produced a framework identifying six priority areas for international and transboundary action: conservation finance; global knowledge management; regional political coordination; area-based management; ecosystem restoration; and strengthening stakeholder capacity and engagement. The findings demonstrate commonalities as well as regional nuances for coral conservation, and the approach can be replicated elsewhere.

npj Ocean SustainabilityVol. 4(1)
University of Jordan (JO), Georgia Institute of Technology (US), Florida Department of Health (US), Bar-Ilan University (IL), Kenya Wildlife Service (KE), University of Washington (US), United Nations Capital Development Fund (US), Marine Conservation Institute (US), Central America Health Sciences University (BZ), Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat (IL), ABS Consulting (United States) (US), Stony Brook University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 65%
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
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